An auto extravaganza kicks off Friday in Goyang, northwest of Seoul, offering a glimpse into various features of future cars that will change not only the traffic landscape but also urban lifestyles.

Under the slogan “Design the future, enjoy the moment,” the Seoul Motor Show has invited 27 car brands from around the world to Kintex. Nearly 300 vehicles, including two world and 42 Korea premieres, will be displayed at the event's 11th outing. 

The show is the only Korean event recognized by the International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers, a global alliance of carmakers founded in Paris in 1919.

South Korea’s two-largest cities -- Seoul and Busan -- have taken turns to host the show each year. Organizers expect more than 650,000 visitors for the show that runs through April 9.

Reflecting the ongoing industry shift toward green technologies and artificial intelligence, eco-friendly concept vehicles and autonomous cars are expected to steal the limelight at the show.

Nearly 20 percent of the cars displayed there are green ones, a slight increase from 16 percent two years ago, organizers said. It suggests a clear change in the auto industry, particularly after the Volkswagen diesel scandal. The German carmaker said it would skip the event, they added.

The list of eco-friendly models include three fuel cell electric vehicles, 12 electric vehicles, 23 gasoline hybrid cars, 10 plug-in hybrid cars and one compressed natural gas car. 

Hyundai Motor will introduce the Grandeur IG HEV, a hybrid version of its signature sedan, in a world premiere, while Japanese carmakers unveil their fuel cell electric vehicles — the LF-FC by Lexus and CLARITY Fuel Cell by Honda.

Self-driving is also a major feature this year, with not only carmakers but also network companies jumping onto the tech bandwagon.

Hyundai Motor, the nation’s largest carmaker, will showcase the Ioniq Autonomous, a self-driving vehicle that made its world debut during the Consumer Electronics Show in January. 

Naver will display an autonomous car of its own and demonstrate the data collection process behind the operation of a driverless car.

The latest high-functioning vehicles are also set to make motorists’ hearts pound.

Kia Motors, a sister company of Hyundai, is introducing its new Stinger sports sedan as part of its Asia debut. It is the fastest car engineered by Kia so far, taking only 5.1 seconds to reach from zero to 100 kilometers per hour.

Mercedez-Benz is presenting star cars including the E-Class Cabriolet, while BMW is betting on the luxury segment with the new M760Li xDrive, the fastest and the latest in its 7 series.

But despite the fanfare, concerns are also rising in the industry that the Seoul Motor Show seems to be losing color, as other prominent events including Auto Shanghai and the Tokyo Motor Show are taking place in the same year.

“Despite South Korea’s reputation as the world’s fifth-largest carmaker, the Seoul Motor Show has no distinctive color to show off,” said Kim Pil-soo, an automotive engineering professor at Daelim University.

In 2015, Korea was the fifth-largest carmaker in the world with 4.56 million vehicles. The size of the country’s automobile market is the 10th largest in the world.

“Organizers should seek a change in its concept, such as tearing down the borders between the field of electronics and automotive, like the Consumer Electronics Show,” he said, adding that the show could include new participants such as Samsung and LG in the future, despite potentially strong resistance from carmakers.

By Cho Chung-un (christory@heraldcorp.com)